Construction employment grew 1 percent in the Twin Cities in the past year, good enough to rank 131st out of 337 U.S. metro areas cited in a new Associated General Contractors analysis of federal jobs data.

Twin Cities adds construction jobs

Construction employment grew 1 percent in the Twin Cities in the past year, good enough to rank 131st out of 337 U.S. metro areas cited in a new Associated General Contractors analysis of federal jobs data.

Between December 2011 and December 2012, the Twin Cities area added 700 construction jobs, the report noted. Overall, Minnesota added 3,200 construction jobs in that 12-month period.

Construction employment increased in 139 metro areas, decreased in 131, and stayed about the same in 65, the AGC report noted.

“Private sector demand for energy, health care, higher education and residential construction is having a positive impact in a growing number of metro areas,” AGC chief economist Ken Simonson said in a statement. “Unfortunately, construction employment in almost as many metro areas appears to be suffering from declining public sector demand and a private sector market that is still well below peak levels.”

Pascagoula, Miss., had the biggest percentage increase in jobs (42 percent, 1,900 jobs) and the Atlanta, Ga., area had the largest decline (down five percent, 4,900 jobs lost).